I want to share this interesting article about a study conducted by one of the instructors from the program I went through at Harvard Medical School to learn how to teach meditation, mindfulness, stress management and various other resiliency techniques.

In this study Sara Lazar and her team discovered that after just 8-weeks of a meditation program the participants in the study had measurable effects to their brains. In particular they found:

“…increased gray-matter density in the hippocampus, known to be important for learning and memory, and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection.”

“…decreased gray-matter density in the amygdala, which is known to play an important role in anxiety and stress.”

These findings are consistent with the claims of many individuals who meditate – that the practice reduces their stress and increases many of their cognitive functions.

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